Gone
by ArmAndLeg
Summary: Inspired by NSync song of a similar title. Purple has gone missing, and Red doesn't know what to do now that his partner is gone.


Arm: I can't believe that no one has done an Alternative History fic

Leg: Run away! Arm was listening to her CDs again! 

Arm: ::hits her:: Shutit. So, anyway, to the people that actually know about this fic (like Cozzie, for example), isn't it about time I typed it up? So, anyway, basic summary is this: Think of a recent boy-band song with the same name as this fic. Does it click? No? Then, the song I'm referring to is "Gone," by Nsync. Does it make it sense now? NO??? ::sighs:: Then you'll just have to wait and see.

Leg: Yes, there is slash, no, it's not our traditional couple. ^_^' Arm is going to kill me now for telling you that now…

Arm: No, I'll let you off easy, this time, Leg… Anyway, we don't own them, at least, we don't own _most_ of them. Now, onto the fic!

Gone

Red glanced desperately at the empty spot next to him. His partner for years was gone, and he had been gone for a few weeks now. Red looked to the side, away from Purple's empty chair, to think. He had so many things to say to Purple, so many things he could do to make Purple come back. But those words and actions would never leave his mind, because he needed to have Purple right there in front of him.

Red sighed again as one of the few Irkens who helped him and Purple glanced back at him worriedly. "I'm fine, Jazz, so don't ask," Red snapped.

The addressed Irken with bright blue eyes (a very unusual color for an Irken eye color, once thought to be a sign of natural born leadership) turned back around. He was possibly the only one on board who _knew_ that Red was depressed, not because of all the extra work he had now because of Purple's mysterious disappearance, but it was because of the fact that Purple had gone missing. Jazz was the only one on board who knew of Red and Purple's relationship with each other. 

Sighing was all Red seemed to be able to do lately, Jazz noted to himself as Red sighed again. It's been so long since he last saw Purple. Red missed him dearly. For Red, it was almost like he had lost contact with the world, since Purple made up most of his own personal world, with galactic conquest taking up the rest of it. So long ago, he was able to look at Purple, something he had always taken for granted before.

He remembered how strange Purple had been acting, and a few things he had said about working all the time, and something else. Red should have realized that Purple needed a change. Red got up from his chair and said that he would be in the quarters he and…Purple had shaved when he was still there. That just made him feel worse. He could feel Jazz's eyes on him the whole way, and he forced himself not to snap at the other Irken once again.

Red wondered what he had done. What was it that made Purple leave so suddenly, with no note or anything? Had he done something wrong? Did he forget anything important? Red looked at a picture of him and Purple and smiled sadly to himself. That picture was taken when they were still at each other's throats, still rivals, and it happened to be Red's favorite picture of them together.

"If only I could fine you, Pur, I'd make you come back so fast it would make your head spin," Red muttered to himself. He wanted Purple back, but he had so much he needed to do. The other Irkens won't let him search for Purple because of that.

But no matter how much work he had been doing, he still was basically sitting around, trying to get Purple off of his mind and be strong in front of his fellow Irkens. That was the hardest thing for him, since all he wanted to do was mope around and do nothing.

He stared at the picture for a moment longer before turning away from it. He was driving himself crazy, staring at a picture of Purple and not seeing the real thing. Red would do almost anything to have Purple back, whispering all those things to him, making Red feel better after the days' events. But the truth will always remain the same, Purple had left and that was that.

Purple stared up at the ceiling of the place he was staying at. He had needed to get away from Red, from the stress of being in a hidden relationship, and the stress from being a Tallest in general. A small part of him called himself selfish to leave all of the work up to Red, and that he was only making excuses for himself. 

Sighing, Purple got out of the small place and just walked around, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He didn't need to worry about his height giving him away because of the mix of races that came here to the planet he was on. He didn't feel like going back to Irk and his "job" there just yet. Purple walked past a store and stopped walking when he saw Red appear on the screen. 

"Almighty Tallest Red, do you have and clue as to…"

"My Tallest! Is it true that you and Purple were…"  
"Where has Purple gone? Didn't he leave a note…"

Purple didn't pay much attention to the Irken reporters on the screen. He could tell that Red hadn't been sleeping _or_ eating well. Purple could also see an underlying sadness in Red's eyes, something he had never seen in them before.

"I have a short amount of time to answer your questions, but please, don't ask me all at once," Red ordered tiredly.

"My Tallest, there have been rumors that Almighty Tallest Purple had been killed, and that he hadn't just disappeared, is that true?"

"No, Purple was _not_ murdered, Irk-napped, or anything of that nature, as far as we can tell." Red responded as he if had been asked questions like that all the time these days. "And, _no_, I didn't do anything to harm him or did anything to get him to give up his place as the Tallest so that I could be the only one," Red continued, quieting most of the other reporters, except for one stubborn female.

"Almighty Tallest Red, was or is there _any_ romantic involvement between you and Almighty Tallest Purple? My colleges and I have noticed that you were becoming more and more depressed and tired as the days go on, is that from the double workload or because of the fact that Purple has disappeared?"

Red sighed and figured, why not? "Yes, you could say that there were _some_ romantic involvement between Purple and I, and the extra workload is stressing me out, though, my depression is being caused by a lot of things, Purple's disappearance being one of them," Red admitted with difficulty. 

A few Irkens shouted, "I knew it!" to themselves, but Purple couldn't bring himself to watch the rest. Red _did_ miss him, and he was finally big enough to admit their relationship to the Irken Empire.

Red sighed. He didn't want to admit all of that today at that…_thing_, but today he felt as if the general public should know. Somewhere deep inside of him, he had hoped that Purple had seen it or heard what he had said. And he knew why; he wanted Purple to see it in hopes that he would somehow come back to him.

Red slumped down into his chair and noticed that Jazz wasn't there. "Chi, where did Jazz go?" Red asked.

Chi turned to face him. "Jazz said something about bringing someone to their senses and that he would be back later," she replied in a clipped tone.

"You mean to say he went to talk to Zim or someone else he cares about?" Red asked.

"You could say that, Sir," Chi replied as she turned back around to complete her work.

Red decided not to press the issue and tried to relax. Time was just moving too slowly for him. Purple had always found ways to make the hectic workday go faster. Red tried to think back to the time when he and Purple weren't even aquatinted. Time wasn't nice to him then either. He figured it that his life without Purple was going to be unbelievably slow. 

He could change his dependence for Purple, but he didn't want to. That would be changing his entire life, and he never wanted to do that. Even if he slowly loses his sanity because of Purple no longer being in his life. Where could have Purple gone? Where? 

Red needed something to do, to take his mind off of Purple. He was only depressing himself farther. He knew that Purple still cared about him, but then why had Purple left? All he wanted was Purple back. He picked up a piece of paper that was on the ground, something he hadn't noticed before. Red examined it before dubbing the paper unimportant and throwing it out.

Jazz glanced around the area. He _knew_ that who he was looking for was here. There was just no way he would miss out on something like this. Finally, he spotted the other Irken there.

"Purple!" Jazz stated as he made it to his table. "You have to come back!"

Purple looked up at Jazz expectantly. He somehow knew that Jazz would find him. "Why should I? I've been having a stress-free life since I've left," Purple lied.

Jazz saw straight through this, however. "Almighty Tallest Red has been depressed beyond depressed without you, and I can tell that you miss him almost as much. When are you going to come back?" Jazz asked as he sat down.

"Never. I don't want to be a Tallest anymore. You can take my place," Purple offered.

"I could never replace you, Purple; not when it comes to Red, and you know it," Jazz said straight out. He hated it when Purple began to act stubborn.

"Are you sure about that?" Purple asked. Purple mumbled something that most people would never be able to decipher, but Jazz was able to understand. You didn't share the same ship with Purple and not learn to understand more than fifty percent of his mumblings.

"He was doing me a favor! He's known how I felt about Zim and he wanted to get us together… You jumped to conclusions, _again_," Jazz explained, exasperated. 

"Red was…doing you a favor?" Purple asked in disbelief. "Wait, was he successful in getting you and Zim together?" Purple asked with a sly smile.

"If you really must know, it _almost_ worked," Jazz said dryly. 

"'Almost'? You mean to tell me that Red was almost capable enough to come up with his own plans and be able to execute them almost perfectly?" Purple asked. 

Jazz smiled slightly and shook his head. "And you always thought he couldn't do anything like that by himself…. But, down to business, Purple. Red simply isn't the same without you. He may seem strong, right now, but this afternoon's transmission, he nearly broke down into tears. I'm sure you saw it," Jazz stated. 

Purple looked down at the table and suddenly found the table cloth very interesting. "He said that we _were_ romantically involved, but he did not say we _are_ romantically involved. Which means that we aren't together anymore, and that he doesn't care about me—"

"'Doesn't care'! Purple, has everything I've said gone in one ear and out the other? He cares more about you than you think. And if you had been thinking, he said 'were' instead of 'are' because he hasn't made any kind of contact with you for weeks. That, to me, sounds like you _used_ to be romantically involved, but not anymore," Jazz explained. 

Purple sighed. He knew Jazz was right. "I still don't think I'll go back. I need to think about it," Purple stated. 

"Fine, but make your decision quickly, will you?" Jazz semi-ordered. He nodded to Purple and walked away. 

Purple watched the shorter Irken walk away and sighed. He should go back, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so. How could he be sure that Jazz was telling him the truth? A large part of him shouted and yelled at him, telling Purple to go back to the Massive right now and beg for all of Irk's forgiveness, especially Red's.

What would he do without Red anyway? Wait, stupid question, he had been without Red for almost—or was it more than?—a month now. And all he's basically been doing was mope; act depressed, and sighed a whole hell of a lot of times. Is that what Purple really wanted in a life? His relationship with Red was now in the open, because of what was said today, so he wouldn't have to worry as much about _that_ little aspect. 

Despite what Jazz had told him, Purple still wondered since that now he and Red were apart, was all Red could think of was him? Did he remain in Red's heart? That's when Purple realized just how much he still needed Red. Purple got up from his chair and left the building he was in. He needed to get back to the Massive, to get back to Red. 

Ever since the day he left, all he could think about was Red. Red this, Red that, and "I wonder what Red is doing right now's…" all ran through Purple's head more than most of the time. It was all he could do, besides being strong on the outside and crumbling away form the inside. He was making himself wonder too much, and now he needed to see Red again, to have Red hold him again.

That caused a shiver that Purple knew all too well to go down his spine. Purple practically ran into his customarily made Voot Runner and headed for the Massive as quickly as he could without breaking any speed laws. Well, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about that, since he _was_ a Tallest. 

It seemed too long of a time before Purple made it to the Massive. For the first time in weeks, he smiled a genuine smile. It seemed as though he was finally home. Purple hoped that he would be able to sneak into the quarters he shared with Red. He got out of the Voot Runner and used his skills of stealth to sneak in. He wanted to surprise Red. 

He made it into their bedroom and Purple nearly collapsed into the bed he and Red shared. Before doing so, however, he noticed now much of a mess the place was, and he couldn't help but to smile. Red never really was all that neat, and without Purple there to keep the place somewhat neat, it was even worse.

So Purple did what the average neat freak would do: clean! He tried not to take his time though, because he wanted to read for a little bit before (or even as) Red walked in to find him there. Making sure the room was as neat as he was going to get it at the moment, Purple sat down on the bed, his back against the pillows, and began reading his favorite book. 

"I'm telling you, Red, you have to find him and speak with him! It's the only way Purple will come back!" Purple could hear through the door, and he easily recognized the owner of the voice to be Jazz.

"Look, Jazz, I'm going to bed. All of the stress has finally gotten to me." Purple raised his antennae in thought. Stressed, huh? Well, he could change that…. "Take care of the Massive, will you?" Red asked, interrupting Purple's train of thought. 

Purple continued to read, trying to fight off all of his doubts. He couldn't wait much longer for Red to walk in on him re—A gasp of shock was heard off to the side, and Purple turned to glare playfully at Red, who was staring at him in disbelief.

"It's impolite to stare, you know," Purple mumbled as he turned the page. 

Red could only shake his head, walk out of the room, and close the door behind him. He had to be imagining things. He heard Purple chuckle to himself lightly, and realized that he wasn't. He walked back into the room, trying to be cool and collected. "Is it,"—aw, damn, his voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "Is it really you, Purple?" 

Purple placed the book down. "Of course it's me, who else would I be?" he returned, a small smile forming at Red's adorably confused expression. 

"You're back!" Red shouted finally before rushing over to Purple, who remained on the bed. "Oh, gods, Pur, I thought you've left me for forever," Red mumbled before he kissed Purple deeply.

Purple responded automatically. Once they pulled apart, he smiled slightly. Gods, how he missed this. "I don't think I could ever leave you for that long."

"Why did you leave in the first place, Pur? What did I do?" Red asked.

"It had nothing to do with you, Red," Purple replied.

"Then why did you leave, if it had nothing to do with me?" 

"I don't really know, Red…. I guess…I guess I needed to clear my head. Though," Purple began, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I will never do that to you or myself again. I missed you so much, and by the way you kissed me earlier, I'd say you missed me too."

Red smiled at Purple and rested his head on Purple's chest. For once, just for tonight, he would let Purple be in charge. Sensing that Red wanted to get closer, Purple kissed the top of Red's head and help Red close to him. Purple knew what Red wanted, though, and whispered, "You'll just have to wait, Red." 

Red pouted and kissed Purple again. He figured that whatever Purple wanted, Purple was going to get. "Fine. Besides," Red began before kissing Purple beneath his jaw, "Jazz is worried about me, he might walk in on us if we were to do something tonight."

"Too late, I already have," a voice said from the doorway. 

Red and Purple both snapped out of their own little world and glared at Jazz. He could have said something! Told them that he was there!

"Relax, Red, Purple," Jazz said with a slight smile. "I didn't see a thing. I'll let you do whatever you were going to do." And with that, the other Irken closed the door as he walked out.

Red shook his head. "So, what should we do, Purple? I mean, all of Irk knows about us. How are we going to act in front of them now?" Red asked.

"We'll worry about that when it's time to. Now, get some sleep, Red, you need it twice as much as I do," Purple ordered.

"Sure," Red mumbled into Purple's chest as he closed his eyes. The two remained like that for the rest of the night. The Tallest agreed silently to themselves that they would never leave each other ever again. 

Arm: I like this ending. ^_^ I have no idea why…

Leg: I _still_ say you should have written that lemon…

Arm: -_-' Leg… I worry about you…. Anyways, what did you guys think? Tell me! First Tallest fic, so you have to give us comforting words of wisdom! Please? 


End file.
